Shuttle.



I. NORTHROP.

SHUTTLE.

APPLICATION. FILED Ara. 5.1915,.

Patented Jan. 1, 1918'.

"a g emmaw till/All,

stantially on the same plane with t JONAS NORTHROP, 0F HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOB TO HOPEDALE MANU- FAC'IURING COMPANY, OF MILFORD, MASSACHUSETTS,

CHUSETTS.

A CORPORATION OF MASSA- SHUTTLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 1, 1918.

I Application flled April 5, 1915. Serial No.19fl00.

TQ all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, JoNAsNon'rnuor, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hopedale, in the county of Worcester and State of lilassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Impro ements in Shuttles; and I do hereby decl ,e the following to be a full. clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enab e others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to improvements in shuttles and more particularly to improvements in self-threading shuttles for automatic looms.

When, upon the completion plenishment, the shuttle is shot through the 'shed toward the filling detector shuttle box and the end of the new filling trails from the delivery end of the shuttle and the filling thread is being drawn down toward the recess in the threading block through which the thread passes. into the delivery eye of the shuttle upon the return shot of the shut. tie, it sometimes happens that, before the filling has found its'wa} into this recess,"

the shuttle has boxed on the fil ing detector side of the loom. In such a or e, upon the operation of the filling detector. the filling being the thickness of the shuttle from the surface of the lay, the filling detector fork, instead of being engaged by the filling near the ends of the tines where the slightest pressure tilts the fork, is engaged so far up the tines towardthe top of the fork that the pressure exerted by the filling against the tines does not serve to tilt the fork. Consequently on such occasions, there is an unnecessary filling replenishment or a step page of the loom. One-object'ofthe present invention. then, is to produce a shuttle wherein the filling of a newly inserted bobhiu upon the first shot-of the shuttle across the lay after filling.replenishmentzis positively drawn down into the recess communicating with the delivery eye and will not remain on the upper surface of the delivery end of the shuttle.

livery eye, insures a proper tilting of the detector f ork by reason of the filling contacting with it near the ends rit' thetines.

This recess being sube de- Sometimes when the filling is drawn into the recess communicating with the shuttle,-

eye on the first shot after filling replenish ment, on the return shot of the shuttle the ing pulls out of this recess, and a real inisthre'ad occurs. Another object of the invention, then, is to produce a shuttle in which the threading block is of such construetion that its cooperating parts prevent the filling from escaping from-the recess once the filling has been drawn down into it.

The impact of the shuttle against the picker stick sometimes causes a looping of the filling which is thrown forward over onto the delivery end of the shuttle. At such times it often happens that'a 100 or bight catches on some projecting part 0 the shuttle, whereupon breakage occurs. Afurther object of the invention, then,.is to produce a shuttle in which it is impossible for a looping of the filling caused in the lnanner described to result in breakage.

Besides the objects'above enumerated, another object of the present invention is to produce a threading block, the simplicity of construction of which conduces greatly to its eheapness of manufacture and its certainty of operation. y

r In the accompanying"drawings illustrat ing the preferred embodiment of the present invention, Figure 1 is a top plan of; the delivery and bobbin holding ends ofa shuttle; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal side sectionalhjti view of the same partly in elevation; Figs;

3 to 7 are enlarged detail views of the im a top' Fig. 5

proved threading block, Fig. 3 being plaIm'Fig. 4 an outer side elevation a partial inner side elevation, Fig. 6i end elevation and Fig. 7 a bottom a front blan;

direction and situation which will be used and Fig. 8 is a transverse sectional view on in order thz'itthereader may readily apprehend the intended meaning. The words front, forward and outer, and their derivatives, are used to designate the di rection toward or the. situation of parts near that wall of the shuttle nearest the tell; The direction toward the Shuttle wall Y gated bobbin recess 11 and is providedat its t lircad 'delivery end with a threading block designated generally by the reference character B. fi he threading block is kept in place in the shuttle by the screw 12, which passes through the slot 13' formed transversely'in the bottom of theblock. A piece of felt 14 serves to maintain atension upon the thread in order that proper selvages may be formed. At the bobbin helding end of the shuttle, bobbin holdin'gs'prings 'orjaws 15 are provided which will hereinafter ,be more particularly described. The thread delivery portion of the shuttle is formed in" the followin manner: A round hole is bored di onall rom a point near the extremity fif file -de i-very end inwardly or backwardly toward the left-hand end of thebobbin re- "cess emerging opposite the end or tip 16 of sothe bobbin'foraccommodating thethre'ading device or block B, which is cylindrical in form.. A thread. entrance channel l8 is formed by cuttingaway the material of the shuttle abovethe block so as. to form aslot having widely divergent sides at the end nearest the-tip of the bobbin and narrowly convergent sidrs at its'forward end. The sides of the channel are convex and slope toward the .lileadi'ng block, so as to guide the thread down into the threading block,

' This'channel tapers from its wide open 7 the back orside wall 23 slopes sharply back;

month near the delivery end of the bobbin to aipoint near the surface of the front wall of the shuttle body, at which point the front or side wall 22 ofthe channelterminates and ward and dgwnwardly forming a concave "recess 26 overhung by a brow or shoulder 27. This brow or shoulder-'27, in coiipera- 'tion with paitsof thethreading block serves as a guard to prevent the escape of the filling I thread once it has passed down under the beak: From an inspection of Fig. 1, it'will beseen-that the entrance passage or channel 18 is slightlydiagol lally spiral, its curve;

ture being very slight from its mo11'th as far as the contracted portion. A; t"this point; -a

portionof "the block forms. the front wall;

of the channel which runssomewh'at parallel to the'adjace'nt convergenbsidc of the' shut]- tle and beyond this po'int'the two sides of the channel overlap each other. This peculiar construction of the entrance passage or 'hannel from the top of thejshu'ttle down to threading block, comprises ongof the r features of the'present invention anditsad vanta es wili'be ointed outin the dese'ri 'tion .0 the operatlon of the improved thre I ing device. a

The description of the. body portion of 7 the improved threading device or block is as follows The body portion of-the block is cylindrical in form and has throu hout its length a tubular chamber or'threa passage 30. In the to slot 31, which conforms indirection with the channel 18 so that a assageway. is formed from the top of the s uttle down to .the bottom of the tubular thread chamber.

The left-hand end of the spiral slot of the s threading block or cylinder terminates at the point 32 which lies about underthe middle of a shield 20. The sides of this spiral slot run parallel from the 'point 32 rightwardly to about the middle of the cylindri- 8 call body, from which point they diverge slightly. This slight divergence continues radually as far as a hook-like born 33. The inner or rear side 3%terminates at the base of the horn and the outer or front side 35 9 plunges helically downward under the end of thehorn to the bottom of the cylinder; thence ascending to the point 37 on the rear side adjacent to the right-hand side of the base of the horn. This hook-like hornv 33 projects laterally outwardly from the top rear wall of the slot 31 and is curved downwardly in conformity with the external surface of the cylinder. The horn is generally triangular in shape and its apex38 closely 1 of the cylinder is cut a spiral approaches the adjacent portion of the opposite side of the slot formin r a very narrow strait or passage 3%}. Th s horn is the last obstruction met by thcthread in its passage downward into 'thetubularchamber of 1 the-threadingblock.v Once the thread has passed th'rough-the'strait 39, it is practieall impossible for it to escap'etherethrough. A though; strictl speaking, the horn. is an obstruction to t e immed ate passage of the 1 thread into the cylinder, it is so'shap'ed as to, afford the least resistance pbssible, and it' is so positioned in relation toth'e other parts of the threading device that this thread is not impededin. passing the point 38, eS- 1 ecially as the thread unwinds from the bobin in the same direction in which the horn. extends. (In this connection it is to be noted that in a shuttle-used on a left-hand loom the horn would project in the opposite 1 direction unless the bobbins were oppositely t on or -beak 28. The right-hand portion .1

. the upper surface of the shield is practically shuttle side. fillin yw contlnuation. of the surface of the gently sloping declivity of the tapering end of the This construction prevents the from catching either on the wood or on me shield. The inner side of the shield 20 acts as a guide to deflect he thread downwardly into the leftdiand end of the threading block slot 31. If the thread should not pass immediately from the tip of the beak into the slot 31, or if it should, pass into'the slot and should afterward es cape therefrom, it would be retained in a vestibule or space under the arched beak 28,

The shed 42 slopes backwardl-y and down wardly to the spiral thread slot 31 from the base 13 of the shield 20, so as to facilitate the passage of the thread fronrthe vestibule into the spiral slot. It is to be observed that when the thread is in this vestibule it is deliverable in either direction of movement of the shuttle.

A delivery eye entrance slot 44 extends from the end of the spiral slot- 31 diagonally forward through the bottom of the threading block to the deliver; eye 45, Through.

this slot the thread is drawn into the delivery. eye on the second or return pick after filling replel'iishment; On the first pick after the filling replenishn'ient the thread liesabovethe shelf 51 and on the next succeeding pick in the opposite direction the thread glides down the inclined receding end 47 of the upright 40 and around the point of the shelf 51 and passes into the delivery eye entrance slot 44 through which it slides into the delivery. eye. The wood of the shuttle is scooped out under the left end of the threading block far to the right as the forward or front end of the delivery eye slot ate so as to aflorda passagr-a-way for the thread as it is drawn under the shelf andthrough the delivery eye slot into the delivery eye. A guide pin l6 standsvertically in thelft-hand end of the tubular chamber of the threading block, its left side 4b being inl-inc with the center of the delivery eye.

This pin forms a \YQflT'lllCllllXl or guide which directs the thread to the delivery eye The delivery eye slot 4'4 opens into the lower right-hand side of the delivery eye 45, and in the usual and regular operation of the shuttle the thread is discharged from the delivery eye either through the righthand side or the left-handi side of the eye. The point 53 formed by the junction of the delivery eye slot with theeye 'c-rosses the bottom of the eye and tends to prevent the thread from escaping therefrom back into the, delivery eye slot. In this connection it is to be noted that if the thread,

running from the tip of the bobbin, should the detector fork along the shuttle body to the outside of the I as it is drawn into the delivery eye is described as follows: On the first shot of the newly replenished shuttle across the lay, the fillingithread 'first passes into the mouth of the tread channel 18 and. almost immed i at-ely thereafter into the right-hand end of the cylinder slot 31.

The strain exerted upon it then draws the thread against the inner edge 25 of the shield which deflects the thread by the beak, 28 into the recess 26. Asthe thread )asses the beak 28, it is received in the left-hand end of the block slot 31. The thread is now entirely within the tubular chamber in the thread cylinder, except that it, has not passed the tip 38 of the horn 33. One or two umvindings from the bobbin, however, suffices forlit to be brought under the horn. If it is not, the thread, nevertheless, is in deliverable position, even though the shuttle be on its return pick before the thread passes under the horn. The beak 28 of the shield 20, in cooperation with the brow or shoulder 27 of the beak recess 26, effectually prevents the regress of the thread. On the return pick of the shuttle, after filling replenislnnent, the thread is drawn against the deflector end ll? of the threading block, and inasmuch as this edge recedes downwardly and backraping through the slot 44 by the delivery eye guard 53, the tip of which projects rightwardly beyond the frontside of the uidepin around which the thread is delivered to the eye.

Attention is directed to the fact that the bottom of the tubular chamber is iusub stantially' the sameplaness the bottom 1 of the delivery eye, so that inasmuch as the filling thread is'practically always drawn down to the bottom of the threadlng cyhlr der on its first shot across the lay after filling replenishment, the thread. is in Ta plane to be engaged roperly by the tines of he tubular chamber of the threading block constituting as it does a recei ing recess for the filling thread on th e first pick of the shuttle, and this re- I eelvin r recess communicating as it does with tliede ivery eye, a construction is provided .in which the fillingthread is fed out from y a recess substantially on .the same plane with the-delivery eye, during the first shot of the shuttle across the lay after filling replenishment. Thatis to say, on the'first shot of the shuttle the thread has a low 'delivery position, It will be noted that when vthe filling thread is not drawn throughvthe delivery eye, the tubular chamber forms a temporary delivery passage for the thread,

but when the thread is discharged from the delivery eye, the tubular chamber together with the delivery eye forms an ultimate delivery passage.

From the foregoing description it is ap ar cut that the threading block. embrace in this invention is one of extremcgsimplicity and of positive operation. There are no I projecting points upon which loops or bi'ghts of the thread may catch. An overthrown 'bight of thread encircling the horn 33, hr the beak'28, or the shelf 51, will disengage. itself. The thread passage or channel 18, from the top of the shuttle down to the thread chamber of the threading block ofiers practically-no obstruction to the passage of a thread therethrough. The sinuous cooperating sides ofthe channel serve only to deflect the thread into its temporary and ultimate delivery passage.

The shuttle described above in connection with the improved threading block, is used on a right-hand loom, that is, a loom\h av ing the weft replenishing inechanism'on its left-hand end. It will be observed that the horn 33 of thethreading block is directed toward the front of the shuttle, so .that' as the fillin unwinds'toward the front of the shuttle from the bobbin, it follows the direction of the horn, and has no tendency to catch thereon and be drawn over the outside of the horn. Now, inasmuch as it is i desirable that similarly wound bobbins be @Thebobbi'n holding available for use in both right and left; hand looms, it. is necessary that the horn project in the same direction in,shuttles for both looms. It should also be observed that if thethreading. block is used in a left-hand loom shuttle, the tlerms"den0ting a direction toward either the left or right will be reversed. v 4 aws or springs 15 are made of a strip of fiat stock, the ends being bent U-shaped, the bottom of the U 'beingsomewhat elongated into a nit'r-row net-41655 and receiving betweei the depressed sides, a block 56 for solidity. The neckf55 'ofthegi holding jaws is rcceive d in a recess in-the bobbi'nholding end ot the shuttle and secured therein by the screw 57-. The

resiliency by 'chamfering the top inside edges of both jaws so that the chamfer .tapers gradually from about the point 60 at the base of eachjaw to about the point 61. from whence outward to their ends the sides of the jaws run parallelly. From the point 61 the chamfer or bevel proceeds to the ends ofthe jaws parallel with their top edges, in this manner, as it is obvious, is the removal of the greater amount of stock from the extremity of the jaws where the greater resiliency is desired, and the lesser amount of stock from the base of the jaws, where a lesser resiliency and a greater strength are desired; Bobbin-holding jaws constructedin this manner have'all the advantages of jaws constructed of forged steel ma chined into proper shape. Another advantage of the bevel or chamfer on the top inside edges of the sides of the bobbinholding jaws, lies in the ready entrance it affords to the bobbin during the filling replenishment. g

As indicated in the preamble, thepresentinvention is not limited to usein connection with shuttles adapted solely for employment in automatic weft replenishing looms, as the shuttle may be used to advantage in other looms, the device by virtue of which the shuttle is self threaded adapting it for convenient rethreading without danger to the operative by suckin the thread through the eye, and the spring obbin holding jaws, while being especially adapted for use in Weft replenishing looms, may be used in connection with other looms.

.Having thus described my present invention, whatl claim is:

1. A self-threading shuttle, having a threading block provided with a leftwardly,

downwardly and inwardly inclined shield, a

slotfor admitting the thread into the block and a horn conforming externally with the pntside contour of the block interposedin one. end of the slot, for preventing the thread from escaping up through the slot,

2. A self-threading shuttle having a cylindrical threading b'lock provided with a leftivardly, downwardly. and inwardly inclined shield, a spiral slot in the top of the block, a curved horn interposed in one end of the slot, a delivery, eye and a delivery eye slot.

3. A sol-fa threading shuttle having athreading block I end of its outer side with an upright which provided on the left-hand The result of chamfering the jaws 06 and registering with the spiral thread slot,

amazes has a downwardly and backwardly receding deflector on its left-hand end, a delivery eye in the threading block, and a delivery eye slot eommunicatm between the bottom end of the deflector ant the delivery eye.

4. A self-threadin shuttle having a cylindrical threadin b ock provided with downwardly le twardly and inwardly inclined shiel an upri ht 0n the left-hand outer side'of the bloc for supporting the shield, a downwardly and backwardly receding deflector on the lefthand end of the u right, a delivery eye in the outer wall of tl ie cylindrical threading 'block. and a delivery 7 eye slot communicating between the bottom end of the deflector and the delivery eye.

5 A self-threading shuttle havin a cylindrical threading block provided \Ylfil a tubular chamber, a spiral slot in the top of the block, a delivery eye, a guide pin interposed vertically in the left-hand end of the tubular chamber and adjacent to the delivery eye, and a delivery eye entrance slot formed in the bottom of the block leading from the tubular chamber to the delivery eye.

6. A self-threading shuttle having-a cylindrical threading block prdiyided with a tubular thread chamber, a guide pin interposed vertically in the left-hand end of the tubular chamber, a. spiral thread entrance slot in the .top of the block, a curved horn in the right hand end of the spiral slot, a shield inclined downwardly,-leftward-ly and inwardly, an upright on the left-hand end of the outer wall of the block for supporting the shield, an inwardly curved beak terminating the shield, adownwardly and backwardly receding deflector on the lefthand endv of the up; right, a delivery eye, and a delivery eye slot.

7. A seltthreadin'g shuttle having a cylindrical threading block, a spiral thread ell-- trance slot in the threading block and a diagonally spiral thread channel leading from the top of the shuttle to the threading block and registering with the spiral slot whereby a thread may bedrawn down into the threading block,

8. self-threading shuttle having a cylindrieal threading block, a spiral thread en trance slot in the threading block, a diagonally spiral thread channel leading from the top of the shuttle to the threading block and registering with the spiral thread slot,

and a shield having a' beak overhanging the thread channel whereby a. filling thread may be drawn down into the threading block and prevented. from repassing through the thread channel.

9. A self-threading shuttle having a cylindrical threadiu block, a. spiral thread entrance slot in he threading block, a diagonally spiral thread channel leading from the top of the shuttle td'the threading block whereby the filling may be drawn into the threading block and prevented from-reprise mg from the threading block.

10. A self-threading shuttle having a cylindrical threading block, a slot in the block, a channel in the shuttle leading into the slot, :1 leftwardly. downwardly and in-, n'al'dly inclined shield to deflect the thread into the slot, an upright supporting the shield and connecting with the left-hand end of the thread block, a beak depending from the shield and a recess in the shuttle having edges projecting outward laterally beyond the beak, the beak and the edges of the recess cooperating to prevent the thread from escaping up over the shield.

11. A self-threading shuttle having a cylindrical threading device having a thread chamber, a spiral slot i1. ethreading device, affording thread entrance into the thread chamber, a delivery eye for controlling the ClQllYkl? of the thread, and a delivery eye slot .or leading the thread from the thread chamber to the delivery eye.

12%. A selfthreading shuttle having a cylindrical threading device having a thread chamber, a spiral slot in the threading device afl'or'ding thread entrance into the thread chamber, a delivery eye for controlling the delivery of the thread, and a delivery eye slot formed in the bottom of the threading device for leading the thread from the thread'chamber to'the delivery eye.

13. A self-threading shuttle for automatic looms, having a threading block including,

a temporary thread delivery passage, :1

channe in the delivery end of the shuttle, and a. slot in the threading block giving into the delivery .passage and registering with the channel, the temporary thread delivery passage occupying a low position relativelv to the ends of the tines of the detector fork so that the filling thread on the first pick of the shuttle after filling replenishment, "will engage the detector ,fork near the ends of the tines.

14. A self-threadingshuttle for automatic looms, having a threading block. including a thread chamberand a delivery eye, the thread chamber constituting a temporai v deliver-y passa e low relatively to the ends of the tines oi the detector fork when the thread is not drawn through the delivery eye, and an ultimate thread delivery passage when the'thrcad is drawn through the delivery eye, so as to cause the thread to be delivered from substantially the' same planes in temporary and ultimate delivery positions.

15. A self-threading shuttle havmgat its a thread delivery end a cylindrical threading block provided with a thread chamber, an

entrance into the chamber, a delivery eye at the forward outer cndot the block, a coneavtfr-v convex shelf constituting the lower said channel eing diverg lar thread chamber top of the block, a

right forward end of the thread block, and a delivery eye slot situated rearwardly of the shelf and communicating between the thread chamber and the delivery eye.

165A selfthreading shuttle having a s irally formed channel in one end, and a threading block rovided with a Ieftwardly, downwardly, an inwardlyinclined shield, a, slot in the top of the block registering with the shuttle channel for admitting the thread into the block, and a horn in one end of the slot for permitting the thread to be drawn down through the slot into the bloclgand for preventing the thread from escaping up through the slot.

17. A. se lf -threading shuttle having a diagonally spiral thread channel leading from the to of the shuttle downwardly, ent at one endand convergent at the other, 1n combination with a cylindrical threading block having a. tubuand a Spiral thread entrance slot therein giving into the tubular thread chamber and in re istration with the thread channel, said t ireading block and said shuttle -havin overlapping. each other or-ward of the point where the-tl1read'..channel converges to permit a thread to bedrawn down into the threading block and to prevent its egress therefrom. v

18. A self-threadin shuttle having a'cy, lindrical threading b ock provided with a tubular thread chamber, having rovis ion for delivering the thread direct 7 there- .from, a spiral thread entrance slot inthe downwardly directed horn in one end of the s iralslot, an u right on the outer wall 08th block at the end opposite the horn, a shield on the"'upaving 'an inwardly curved beak terminating It, a delivery eye, and a deliv tubular thread chamber on shbstantially'the' same plane with elivery' eye so that the thread may be ery eye v slot, said 'delivered on substantially the same plane from either thatubular thread chamb r or thedelivery eye.- 19. A se f-threading shuttle having a C lintlric al y threading block provided with a the thread direct y from the tubu coiiperating parts i.

-leftwardly, downwardly, and inwardly intnbular thread chamber in provision for delivering therefrom, a spiral slot 111 the top of the bloclga curved horn interposed in one end of the slot, a delivery eye, and a delivery eye slot, the tubular thread chamber and the delivery eye being constructed and arranged so that, when the thread is being delivered from either the one or the other it is on substantially the same plane. j

20. A self-threading shuttle having :1 cylindrical threading block, a. tubular thread chamber in the block, a-thread entrance slot in the to J of the block, a curved horn in one end of t e slot to prevent the egress of the thread from the tubular thread chamber, a downwardly and inwardly inclined shield formed at the end of-the block opposite to the born, a delivery eye, a delivery eye slot,

clined shield, a the block, havin and a passageway between the forward bot tom end of the block and the adjacent part of the shuttle )ermitting the threa-d'to pass l ar chamber into the delivery eye slot.

, 21. A sel fsthreading shuttle having a cylindrical threading block provided with a downwardly and 'inwardlyinclined shield, a thread chamber in the block, a spiral slot one end of the slot,

end of the shield for deflecting the thread into the spit-ab slot, at delivery eye, and a delivery eye slot affording passageway for the thread from the chamber to the delivery eye.

22. A self-threading shuttle having 7, a

diagonally spiral thread channel divergent and convergent-- at its a recess in Its wall, in

Witnesses CLAREN E E. Amvou), WALLACE E. WATKIN- JONAS NORTHROP.

in the top of the block, a curved 'horn in" a shed formed on the top of the block and situated beneath one 

